The Mande Blacksmiths

" ... Finely crafted scholarship. Elegant and graceful, yet packed with knowledge and information, it embodies the aesthetic qualities which it describes and explores." American Ethnologist "The text is detailed and informative, and enjoyable reading ..." Choice "The Mande Blacksmith is an important book ... sensitive, sympathetic, multifaceted, and thorough ..." African Arts "McNaughton's Mande Blacksmiths is undeniably the most profound study of African artists yet published." Ethnoarts " ... penetrating ... McNaughton boldly grapples with the thorniest issues related to his subject and articulates them with clarity and precision." International Journal of African Historical Studies " ... a work in the best tradition of ethnographic research ... critical reappraisal, innovative inquiry, and fresh observation ... make this book an invaluable fund of new material on Mande societies ..." American Anthropologist "McNaughton ... provides an important interpretation of these artists' conceptual place as members of a complex culture." Religious Studies Review Examining the artistic, technological, social, and spiritual dimensions of Mande blacksmiths, who are the sculptors of their society, McNaughton defines these artists conceptual place as extraordinary members of a complex culture.

. . . finely crafted scholarship. Elegant and graceful, yet packed with knowledge and information, it embodies the aesthetic qualities which it describes and explores. --American Ethnologist The text is detailed and informative, and enjoyable reading . . . --Choice The Mande Blacksmith is an important book . . . sensitive, sympathetic, multifaceted, and thorough . . . --African Arts McNaughton's Mande Blacksmiths is undeniably the most profound study of African artists yet published. --Ethnoarts . . . penetrating . . . McNaughton boldly grapples with the thorniest issues related to his subject and articulates them with clarity and precision. --International Journal of African Historical Studies . . . a work in the best tradition of ethnographic research. . . . critical reappraisal, innovative inquiry, and fresh observation . . . make this book an invaluable fund of new material on Mande societies . . . --American Anthropologist McNaughton . . . provides an important interpretation of these artists' conceptual place as members of a complex culture. --Religious Studies Review Examining the artistic, technological, social, and spiritual dimensions of Mande blacksmiths, who are the sculptors of their society, McNaughton defines these artists' conceptual place as extraordinary members of a complex culture.

After completing my first book "The Huevolution of Sacred Muur Science" I found there were many aspects of Muur history and culture that I touched on too lightly. So, I set out to do a follow up book that more or less expounded on subjects like Joseph Smith and the Mormons, the Poro & Keetowah societies, and the Delawares & Nanticokes. This particular book also has a chapter on ancient & modern round ball sports, after reading it, one, might better explain the overall craze of round ball sports in America. One of the most fascinating aspects of Moorish Science Temple history is the (Pan American Conference 1928) And the so called Moor circle (7). I conclude this book with Addendums dealing with these very intriguing subjects along with the national headress the (Fez). My mother is part Nanticoke and Fulani, my father Cherokee & Mende. My mission, was to represent my family roots through literature along with magnifying cultures not often written about, at least not by one of its own.

"... the contributors to Status and Identity in West Africa have swept away the dust that has obscured the study of the societies of western Sudan and have made it possible to pursue the salutory work of decolonizing the history and sociology of these regions."Â -- American Ethnologist "This discussion is among the most significant contributions that African studies can make to the contemporary global dialogue on multicultural issues." -- Choice "It is 'must' reading for anyone who works in African literature today." -- Research in African Literatures "…an indispensable guide to understanding the producers of art in the Mande world, including the art of the spoken word. The writing and arguments are clear and jargon-free…it will provide a rich harvest of detailed original research…" -- African Arts "[This] book... is the most impressive effort to look at these groups in comparative perspective. The essays fit together nicely to challenge notions that came out of colonial scholarship." -- Journal of Interdisciplinary History "... the volume makes a significant contribution to the social history and ongoing processes of cultural pluralism in West Africa." -- Journal of Religion in Africa The nyamakalaw -- blacksmiths, potters, leather-workers, bards, and other artists and specialists among the Mande-speaking peoples of West Africa -- play powerful roles in Mande society. This book presents the first full portrait of one of Africa's most powerful and least understood social groups.

Griot Potters of the Folona reconstructs the past of a particular group of West African women potters using evidence found in their artistry and techniques. The potters of the Folona region of southeastern Mali serve a diverse clientele and firing thousands of pots weekly during the height of the dry season. Although they identify themselves as Mande, the unique styles and types of objects the Folona women make, and more importantly, the way they form and fire them, are fundamentally different from Mande potters to the north and west. Through a brilliant comparative analysis of pottery production methods across the region, especially how the pots are formed and the way the techniques are taught by mothers to daughters, Barbara Frank concludes that the mothers of the potters of the Folona very likely came from the south and east, marrying Mande griots (West African leatherworkers who are better known as storytellers or musicians), as they made their way south in search of clientele as early as the 14th or 15th century CE. While the women may have nominally given up their mothers' identities through marriage, over the generations the potters preserved their maternal heritage through their technological style, passing this knowledge on to their daughters, and thus transforming the very nature of what it means to be a Mande griot. This is a story of resilience and the continuity of cultural heritage in the hands of women.

Written by an international team of experts, this is the first work of its kind to offer comprehensive coverage of folklore throughout the African continent. Over 300 entries provide in-depth examinations of individual African countries, ethnic groups, religious practices, artistic genres, and numerous other concepts related to folklore. Featuring original field photographs, a comprehensive index, and thorough cross-references, African Folklore: An Encyclopedia is an indispensable resource for any library's folklore or African studies collection. Also includes seven maps.

Captures the power of individuals and art at a single night's masquerade performance

Secret Manipulations is the first comprehensive study of African register variation, polylectality, and derived languages. It provides a new approach to local language ideologies and concepts of grammar and metalinguistic knowledge.